Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey
by Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey
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Book Summary Information

Author: Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-07-01
ISBN: 0802136885
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Grove Press

Book Reviews of Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey

Book Review: Thoroughly researched, well-written history of the dance/club DJ
Summary: 5 Stars

Written by two former editors of Mixmag (the magazine bible of club culture and dance music), this 400-page book provides a deep, well-researched history of the club DJ. It follows the evolution of the live performance DJ from a human record changer, to a macro mixer of individual platters, to a micro mixer of record segments and sounds, to a full-fledged music producer. In doing so the authors document the impact that DJs had on the music itself, first in selecting what they played, later in demanding what they needed, and lastly in creating what they wanted.

Although the book opens with a short chapter on radio DJs (all of twenty-one pages), this story is about the club DJ's rise to musicianship. The book charts the live DJ's beginnings as a record spinner in large halls, follows the DJ-fueled Northern Soul scene in the UK, threads in the revolutionary work of Jamaican DJ sound systems, and returns to the US for a lengthy exposition on disco, hip-hop, house and beyond.

The disco chapters, though at times devolving into discussion that's more of the music than the DJs, are among the book's most interesting. They explore the movement's organic New York roots, contrasting them sharply to the genre's publicly refuted commercial apogee. One might argue with their contention that the "disco sucks" backlash was a homophobic reaction (particularly when they do such a good job of describing the commercial overexposure that led to disco's mainstream repudiation), but their descriptions of the era's seminal underground clubs and DJs bring context to disco that was completely lost in its mainstream incarnation.

Two chapters on hip hop show both its evolutionary and revolutionary forward steps, with the DJ becoming a producer and musician. Fresh interviews with the major players are skillfully woven into a compelling narrative of the genre's birth and growth. Club music's transitions between house, techno, garage and other variants are layered with reporting on the stage-setting cultural environments and geographic movements of key players. These latter chapters read more as anthropological catalogs than the you-are-there accounts of disco, so while they're informative, they're a bit dry.

A good deal of the text devolves into a history of the music, leaving the DJs temporarily on the sideline. But given the intimate intertwining of DJs and music, and the reciprocal impact they had on each other, this is probably unavoidable. Unless you're an avid dance music fan, some of the authors' points, hinged upon references to specific songs, will fail to resonate.

The authors make a compelling argument for the DJ at the center of the vortex that created disco and morphed it into house, techno, acid house and more. Unlike music that was a product of artists, record companies and radio, dance music is a product of dancers, clubs, DJs and producers, with the latter two categories merging more and more over time. The added element of geographical isolation is shown to have had a major impact on numerous scenes (northern UK, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Europe) and the development of their respective musics, and the commercial needs for starless music created a vacuum into which DJs could step.

Though this is very well written, though there are nits to pick. Their anti-academic disclaimer is unnecessarily reactionary, and not even particularly true given the amount of original research they conducted. Their text on drug influences ignores numerous earlier drug/music interactions, such as in jazz and rock. Their lack of detail on radio DJs is a reasonable choice, but one not explained by the book's title or subhead. Their geography is UK/US-centric, and limited in the US mostly to New York, Chicago and Detroit. Whether or not those three cities were host to the only innovations worth reporting upon is questionable.

Structurally the book follows a linear timelines through the disco era, but later chapters have timelines that overlap. For the unschooled, it's difficult to really see how innovations in different places were influencing each other. The book's appendices include priceless club charts that provide useful guidance in assembling a soundtrack but it's unclear where these charts came from.

Quibbles aside, this is a great read for anyone who wants to learn about the DJ's critical role in the development of dance music. For disco, in particular, the DJ booth point provides an excellent view into the scene's true history. Brewster and Broughton write lively, engaging copy and have based it on thorough original research. Highly recommended! [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

Summary of Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey

From the first time a record was played over the airwaves in 1906, to a modern club economy that totals $3 billion annually in New York City alone, the DJ has been at the center of popular music. Starting as little more than a talking jukebox, the DJ is now a premier entertainer, producer, businessman, and musician in his own right. Superstar DJs, from Junior Vasquez to Sasha and Digweed, command worship and adoration from millions, flying around the globe to earn tens of thousands of dollars for one night's work. Increasingly, they are replacing live musicians as the central figures of the music industry. In Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, music journalists Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton have written the first comprehensive history of the mysterious and charismatic figure behind the turntables -- part obsessive record collector, part mad scientist, part intuitive psychologist of the party groove. From England's rabid Northern Soul scene to the birth of disco in New York, from the sound systems of Jamaica to the scratch wars of early hip-hop in the Bronx, from Chicago house to Detroit techno to London rave, DJs are responsible for most of the significant changes in music over the past forty years. Drawing on in-depth interviews with DJs, critics, musicians, record executives, and the revelers at some of the century's most legendary parties, Last Night a DJ Saved My Life is nothing less than the life story of dance music.

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